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Jerry:Well, your name is really Dean but I called you Max and I told you to fly away because Maxfli is the name of a golf ball and the sponsor doesn't want us to make any plugs.

Dean:We need the golf balls!

Jerry:Because we both play golf so send them to the house right away.

Dean:Maxfli!

Jerry:Oh, I can just see the sponsor now, squeezing all of the Colgate toothpaste out of the tube and he's screaming something awful!

A live Variety Show aired on NBC from 1950 to 1955 which was hosted by a rotating group of entertainers. The title refers to the show's primary sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive. The November 22, 1953, episode was the subject of an experimental NTSC color television broadcast.

Game Show Appearance: On September 18, 1955, the Season 6 premiere opened with The $64,000,000 Question, hosted by Hal April (Dean Martin) and sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive (naturally). Returning champ Morty M.M. Morton (Jerry Lewis) is forced to go for $32,000,000 and manages to survive... then is submerged underwater for the long-winded final question, leading to many ad-libs by Lewis.

The Host: Various entertainers shared the duty in a month-or-so rotation. Martin and Lewis were the only ones to remain in the rotation for the entire run of the show.

Improv: Some guests preferred to do this rather than follow the script.

Medium Awareness: Martin and Lewis, especially Lewis, would often bring attention to the technicians that told them, for instance, that they had five minutes or two minutes left on the show by reading out the cue cards or mimicking their hand signals. At least once, they even dragged the technician onto the stage for the benefit of the audience.

Jerry: There's a fella standing on the side going like this. (holds up three fingers then does a "stretching" motion with his hands) They don't want you people out there to know! You can't conceal these things to this audience! They paid money to buy Colgate and I want you to put the camera on this man when he goes like this! (does the same motions again)

No Fourth Wall: Though sometimes the performers would build one and then knock it down again, just for fun.

Revival: On November 5, 1967, The Dean Martin Show (sponsored by Colgate) was preempted for a one-off revival of The Colgate Comedy Hour with guests including Mel Brooks, Bob Newhart, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin and others. Notably, none of the performers from the original 1950-1955 run returned. It was intended as a pilot for a new series, which never happened.

Jerry: Hey, operator, would you please be good enough to give me Academy 72467... 24771... 329984... 721111111111—(Dean hits him on the head)—8239... 72665444444—(Dean hits him again)—293... 333336!(just before Dean hits him yet again) 29?

Operator: Sorry, this number has been changed to Academy 31658473657895468—aack!(Dean rolls up the phone line on itself, "strangling" her)

The Show Must Go On: The January 25, 1953, edition featuring Martin and Lewis ended up being a clip show due to Jerry Lewis recuperating from a knee injury he suffered when falling off a scooter — he did the entire show sitting down.

The Trickster: The episodes Martin and Lewis hosted often opened with sketches of the comedy team disrupting gatherings of members of polite society such as wedding receptions, dog shows, PTA meetings, company conventions, etc. These usually featured Lewis as the disruptive force with Martin as the kid with the leash.

As was the standard practice in the era, the show is named after the sponsor and the commercial breaks advertise the sponsor's products: Ajax cleanser, Colgate toothpaste, Fab laundry detergent, Halo shampoo and Palmolive soap.

Averted with a few episodes during the 1950-1951 season that were sponsored by Frigidaire; those carried the title of The Comedy Hour instead.

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